Mulaney

When everyone gets a fair chance to play, Mulaney finds its right type of weird. The ingredients are here for a show that’s more than a showbiz satire or a four-friends-and-a-couch comedy.

The plots of the first episodes have none of the labyrinthine structure of classic Seinfeld episodes; they feel more like vehicles for prewritten bits. They’re funny, but they don’t sound like regular people talking. This artificial sensibility is exacerbated by various performances.

Although there are a few snarky laughs in the pilot, they can’t compete with the uncomfortable feeling that Mulaney, bless his heart, isn’t ready for prime time.

It’s in John Mulaney’s standup bits, thus far much funnier and authentic-feeling than anything in the scripted parts of Mulaney, that you get a hint of what that might be.

There are also the Seinfeldean coinages and obsessions, but pushed forward and highlighted in a way that feels both self-aware and inept.

The cast is OK, although Mulaney tries so hard to make them hilariously wacky that each one comes off as a version of Cecily Strong’s the Girl You Wish You Hadn’t Started a Conversation With at a Party.

This is a messy disposable diaper of a comedy series whose star plays himself without any idea of how to act or write the part.